Making wheels



Sept. 16, 1930. MURRAY, JR 1,776,081

' MAKING WHEELS Filed April 19, 1926 Patented Sept. 16, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THOMAS E. MURRAY, JR., F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO METROPOLITAN ENGINEERING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK MAKING WHEELS Application filed April 19,

The invention aims to provide an eflicient and economical wheel structure and method of producing the same. The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a-portion of a blank used in producing a wheel;

Fig. 2 is a section thereof on the line 22;

Fig. 3 is a face elevation showing the work after the next operation;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 thereof;

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the complete as- .semblage of the spokes and felly; and f Fig. 6 is a face elevation of an alternative form.

The wheel is composedof spokes or equivalent parts extending from the hub to the telly. The first operation is to stamp out a number of units each comprising a central portion 1 from which the spokes are to be formed, a wedge-shaped inner end 2 for forming the nave, and an outer portion 3 for effecting the attachment to the telly. A num ber of such units are then assembled in the manner indicated in Fig. 1 and welded together along the edges 4 of the parts 2 so as to form an'annulus constituting the nave of the wheel or a part of the nave.

The intermediate product thus produced is then subjected to a bending operation. See

Figs. 3 and 4. Longitudinalflanges 5 are formed on the edges of the spokes 1. These flanges extend across the inner portions of the spokes as at 6 to the joints 4. At their upper ends the flanges extend as at 7around the lateral arms 8 formed from the parts 3 of the original blank. And the outer edges of said parts 3 are bent over in the axial di'- rection to-form flanges 9.

The next operation is to apply the telly 10 thus completing the wheel as shown in Fig. 5. The felly may be formed integrally with the spokes. See Fig. 6. In this case each of the flat blanks will have at its outer end circumferential extensions 11 long enough to meet corresponding extensions of the adjacent spokes. When the joints 4 of the nave are welded, the meeting ends of the extensions ll will also be welded along joints 12. When such a flat structure is bent or drawn up to 1926. Serial No. 102,931.

form flanges on the edges of the spokes, and the ring formed by the lateral extensions 11 is bent over to lie parallel With'the wheel axis, or nearly so, therewill be complete.in gnlei welded structure the nave, spokes, and

The outline of the flat blanks may be of difi'erent designs.- The cross-section after bending may differ from the channel shape of Figs. 3 and 4. And the outer ends may 66 be stamped and bent to various shapes in contour and cross-section.

Various other modifications may be-made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as defined in the follow- 05. ing claims. A

What I claim is 1. In the making of a wheel, themethod which includes forming flat spoke blanks, welding them to one another around a center, 70 and then bending up their side edges to positions transverse to the plane of the blanks.

2. In the making of a wheel, the method which includes forming flat spoke blanks,

welding them to one another around a center,

and then bending up their side edges to positions transverse to the plane of the blanks and bending over the outer ends to form flangessubstantially parallel to the axis of the wheel.

3. In the making of a wheel, the method which includes forming flat spoke blanks with lateral extensions at their outer ends, welding their inner-ends to one another to form a nave, and welding the ends of said lateral extensions to form a continuous ring.

4. In the making of a wheel, the method which includes forming flat spoke blanks with lateral extensions at their outer ends, welding their inner ends to one another to form a nave and welding the ends of said lateral extensions to form a continuous ring, bending up the side edges of the spokes, and bending over the outer ring substantially parallel to the axis of the wheel.

5. In the making of a wheel, the method 95 which includes forming flat spoke blanks, welding them together, and then bending up their side edges to positions transverse to the plane of the blanks.

6. In the making of a wheel, the method which includes assembling a number of flat blanks into approximately the final shape of the wheel, welding these blanks together in the flat, and then bending them to form the final shape of the wheel.

7. In the making of a wheel, the method which comprises .forming flat spoke blanks, welding the blanks together atone of their ends to form a center, and then bending the edge {)ortions of said blank to form flanges.

8. nthe making of a wheel, the method which comprises formin .flat spoke blanks, welding the blanks toget er at one of their ends to form a center, and then bending the edge portions of said blank to. form flanges extending from one spoke continuously through the welded joint to an adjoining spoke.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

THOMAS E. MURRAY, JR. 

